STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 27, 2014 – NBC Sports Group will present comprehensive coverage of the Formula One™ United States Grand Prix from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, next Friday-Sunday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, including practice, qualifying and culminating in NBC’s live presentation of the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. ET.

For the first time ever, NBC Sports Group will present live qualifying on NBC on Saturday, Nov. 1, beginning at 1 p.m. ET, as well as complete coverage of all three practice sessions across NBC and NBCSN.

NBC Sports Group F1 broadcast team, led by lead play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey, will be on-site at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas to host all practice, qualifying and United States Grand Prix coverage. Diffey will be joined by analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett, F1 insider Will Buxton, and motorsports reporter Kelli Stavast.

NBC Sports Group’s United States Grand Prix coverage will feature numerous interviews and features with F1 drivers and team executives, as well as the premiere of Road To Mercedes, an in-depth look at the history of Mercedes-Benz in motorsport.

NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream all three practices, qualifying and the U.S. Grand Prix next weekend.

NBC Sports Group’s lead Formula One broadcast team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), David Hobbs (analyst), Steve Matchett (analyst), and Will Buxton (on-site reporter), as well as executive producer Sam Flood, will preview the upcoming United States Grand Prix on a media conference call today at 5 p.m. ET. Media interested in participating should call 719-325-2432; Passcode: 6806756.

Coverage of the U.S. Grand Prix begins with a 60-minute edition of F1 Countdown, NBC Sports Group’s live F1 pre-race show, on NBCSN at 2 p.m. ET for 30 minutes, and shifts over to NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET, leading into the U.S. Grand Prix at 3 p.m. ET.

F1 Countdown will feature sit-down interviews between Diffey and Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci, as well as motorsports Stavast with Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo, and a feature with Buxton and four-time F1 World Champion and Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, as they cruise through the streets of downtown Austin. NBC will also air an hour of post-race coverage immediately following the conclusion of the U.S. Grand Prix.

Last year, Sebastian Vettel won the U.S. Grand Prix en route to his 2013 F1 World Championship. Lewis Hamilton currently leads Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by 17 points in the standings with just three races remaining, and won the first U.S. Grand Prix that was held at Circuit of the Americas in 2012.

FOR FIRST TIME, NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS LIVE QUALIFYING ON NBC, & LIVE COVERAGE OF ALL PRACTICES ON NBC OR NBCSN; ROAD TO MERCEDES PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCT. 30 AT 10 P.M. ET

For the first time, NBC Sports Group will present live qualifying on NBC, as well as all three practices across NBC and NBCSN. Coverage will begin with Practice 1 on Friday, Oct. 31 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by live coverage of Practice 2 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC will air Practice 3 followed by live qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. ET.

In addition, NBCSN will debut Road To Mercedes on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 10 p.m. ET as part of a full night of F1 programming on NBCSN. Hosted by Will Buxton, the 60-minute special examines the history and heritage of the Mercedes F1 team, which clinched the 2014 F1 constructors’ championship after the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi on Oct. 12, winning its first ever F1 constructors’ title.

Road To Mercedes will feature an in-depth look at the Silver Arrows, as well as the restoration of historic Mercedes cars at Kienle, as Buxton brings viewers on a trip from Mercedes F1 home in the United Kingdom to the company’s birthplace in Germany. The special will also air on Friday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN between Practices 1 and 2.

Following Practice 2, NBCSN’s edition of F1 Countdown on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET will feature sit-down interviews between Steve Matchett and Gene Haas and Haas F1 Team Principal Gunther Steiner, discussing the prospects of an American F1 team in 2016.

NBCSN’s Thursday night F1 programming block will also feature Road To Ferrari at 11 p.m. ET, as well as episodes of /DRIVE on NBC Sports, Off The Grid, and “1”, the critically-acclaimed F1 documentary.

With three races remaining in the 2014 Formula One™ Season, including NBC’s presentation of the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 2, NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the first 16 races has set numerous viewership milestones across NBC, NBCSN and CNBC, according to The Nielsen Company.

NBCSN has averaged 377,000 viewers for its first 11 races, up 93% vs. last year (195,000) and on-pace for the best-ever F1 season for a cable network (since 2002). Viewership is also up 39% vs. SPEED’s F1 coverage in 2012 (271,000).

Following is NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive motorsports coverage surrounding the F1 U.S. Grand Prix this weekend:

Date

Coverage

Network

Time (ET)

Thurs., October 30

Off The Grid (Encore)

NBCSN

7 p.m.

“1” – F1 Documentary

NBCSN

7:30 p.m.

Road To Mercedes (Premiere)

NBCSN

10 p.m.

Road to Ferrari (Encore)

NBCSN

11 p.m.

Fri., October 31

/DRIVE on NBCSN (Encore)

NBCSN

12 a.m.

/DRIVE on NBCSN (Encore)

NBCSN

12:30 a.m.

Road To Mercedes (Encore)

NBCSN

1 a.m.

Off The Grid (Encore)

NBCSN

12 p.m.

F1 United States Grand Prix – Practice 1

NBCSN

12:30 p.m.

Road To Mercedes (Encore)

NBCSN

2 p.m.

F1 United States Grand Prix – Practice 2

NBCSN

3 p.m.

F1 Countdown

NBCSN

4:30 p.m.

F1 United States Grand Prix – Practice 2 (Encore)

NBCSN

10:30 p.m.

Sat., November 1

F1 United States Grand Prix – Practice 3 & Qualifying

NBC

1 p.m.

Sun., November 2

F1 United States Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore)

NBCSN

12:30 a.m.

F1 Countdown

NBCSN

2 p.m.

F1 Countdown

NBC

2:30 p.m.

F1 United States Grand Prix

NBC

3 p.m.

F1 Extra

NBC

5 p.m.

MOTORSPORTS ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA: NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will provide live streaming coverage of this week’s F1 Japanese Grand Prix. NBC Sports Live Extra’s F1 presentations allow viewers to access live on-board shots from various drivers, live shots on pit lane, highlights and an interactive track map.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at http://www.nbcsports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

All live-event programming will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

MOTORSPORTSTALK:MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on the Formula One, Verizon IndyCar Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and all other motorsports racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.

MotorSportsTalk’s content is provided by top racing journalists and expert analysts, including:

Luke Smith is creator and editor at Richland F1, which begins its second season this year. He’s on Twitter at @LukeSmithF1, primarily handling the F1 scene from Europe in great detail.

Tony DiZinno has most recently served as web editor for RACER Magazine and has more than seven years of experience in the industry. Follow him on Twitter at @TonyDiZinno.

Chris Estrada has written for NBCSports.com’s MotorsportsTalk since its inception in 2013, and has been a contributor for various outlets, including the Boston Globe, IndyCar Nation and FoxSports.com. Follow him at @estradawriting.

Jerry Bonkowski is a veteran NASCAR reporter with more than 30 years of experience. He has contributed to USA Today, Yahoo! Sports and other websites over the course of his career. Follow him on Twitter @JerryBonkowski.